A Call
by Reid Phantom
Summary: ..Spoilers for season 7.. Adam is woken up early by a text from Keith. He's not in the mood, but an email from the Garrison has him calling the kid anyways. Shiro's alive.


_Do y'all know how hard it was not to give Adam the last name West?_

* * *

 **Shiro's alive.**

Adam sighed, pushed his glasses up to rub at his eyes, took a deep breath, and then looked back down at his phone.

Nope, the message was still there.

He glanced at the time.

Goddammit! Six-thirty in the morning was too early to deal with this.

A chirp sounded, announcing he had an email.

 **Lt Wrona,**

 **Commander Iverson has requested your presence as**

Adam didn't bother reading the rest. Instead he rolled out of bed, grabbed a clean uniform, and marched into the bathroom, all while scrolling through his phone to Keith's contact.

Keith didn't pick up the first time, but he picked up the second.

"Ad-"

"What did you do?"

There was a moment of silence. "What?"

"Iverson's summoned me. The last time that happened, it was because you got yourself kicked out of the Garrison by decking him."

"It was worth it," Keith huffed.

"Not the point."

"I… Did you get my text?"

Adam switched to speakerphone and set his phone down on the counter. "Another reason I'm sure you did something. What the hell was that?"

"It's true!"

"Have you been hanging out with Katie Holt behind my back?"

"Katie who?"

Good. There's no telling what trouble those two would cause if they got together. Adam's still amazed no one's called her out on her BS alias yet. Honestly, _Pidge_ looks exactly like a shorter Matt Holt. He can't be the only one who sees it. "Nevermind. Keith, why are you waking your father up with conspiracy theories?"

"Would you stop calling yourself that," Keith groaned.

"Never." He'd told Takashi when he'd brought the kid home like some stray dog that he was going to call him whatever he wanted and that wasn't changing just because Takashi was… gone. Even if they hadn't been together for nearly a year before he'd left.

He could still remember the look on Takashi's face when he'd first called Keith their son.

"Shouldn't you be up already?"

"My classes aren't until the afternoon. I can sleep in until at least lunch. Now stop changing the subject. What did you do and why are you spreading conspiracy theories?"

"I'm serious, Adam. He's alive… and he's also in my shack."

"He's… Keith please tell me your kidding."

"I'm not."

"How long were you out in the sun yesterday?"

"I don't have heat stroke!" There was a pause. "This time."

"Keith! When did you -"

"He's really here. Also, I might have kidnapped him from the Garrison so that's probably why Iverson's bothering you."

Adam finished buttoning up his uniform and leaned against the sink with a heavy sigh.

"Adam, I swear, I'm not making this up. I told you those carvings said something was arriving last night, and it was Shiro. He crashed in this weird shuttle."

He remembered last night's tremors and the lockdown. A meteorite impact, the higher-ups had told them.

"Where did the shuttle come from?"

"Well, I, uh, don't know. He hasn't woken up yet so I can't ask. The others said that he, well…"

"Others?"

"Right. I might have helped a trio of cadets run away from the Garrison."

Another sigh. "Which cadets?" he asked, though he was sure of at least one.

"Um… I think the big guy was called Hunk? Might be a nickname. And Pidgeon? That doesn't sound like a name, but I don't know. He looks like a mini Matt. The last one is that mouthy pilot that was always trying to pick a fight with me."

"James?" That was weird. Why would James be with Hunk and Katie?

"What? No! The mouthy pilot, not the dick pilot. Cargo class."

"Keith, you guys shared at least three classes the entire time you were at the Garrison. How hard is it to remember his name is Lance?"

"That was an entire year ago! Be glad I remembered James!"

"That's because you two were constantly in trouble together," Adam snorted. He shook his head and left the bathroom. "So where do they think Takashi came from?"

"Okay, so this part's going to sound like a conspiracy theory, but you can't blame me. They're the ones saying it… They think it's aliens."

Yeah, that sounded like Katie.

"Look, just come out here so you can see for yourself."

"I can't. Iverson awaits, remember."

"Who gives a -"

"He's still _my_ commanding officer, remember?" Adam grabbed his keys and sat down on the stool next to the door to pull on his boots. "I'll come by after I see him. If anything you're saying is true, he's probably just fishing for information on your whereabouts."

"It is. What are you going to tell him?"

"Keith. You texted me and are talking to me on my Garrison issued phone. It's not like I can lie. They'll have records."

"You're the worst."

"Just stay where you are."

"They had him strapped to a table, Adam."

That made him pause. "That… Let me handle it. It was probably just a misunderstanding. He's been missing, presumed dead, for over a year, Keith. They were probably just being cautious."

Keith snorted.

"Just hang tight and I'll get this figured out. Listen to your father."

"Adam, I… Crud, I gotta go! He's up!"

"Keith!"

"Talk to you later!"

"Just stay -"

The call ended.

With one last sigh, Adam pocket his phone and headed out. He only made it five steps before he got a text.

No, not a text, a picture.

Adam had to lean against the wall to steady himself.

He'd gotten bigger during the year, bulked up. He was wearing what looked like the vest from Keith's father's uniform and there was a bit of white in his hair towards the front. Adam could really only see a quarter of his face from the angle Keith had taken the picture, but he was still recognizable.

"Takashi."

* * *

As expected, Iverson wanted to know if he'd heard from Keith.

At first, he was was charged with the abduction of three missing cadets. When Adam flashed the picture of his ex-boyfriend, Iverson _kindly_ changed it to being wanted for questioning in the disappearance of three runaways.

He wouldn't tell Adam anything about Takashi though.

"Officially, he is still missing, presumed dead," Iverson affirmed.

Adam was sure that both Keith and Takashi would have rolled their if they had heard that. Officially only meant on paper, especially when someone in power said it like that.

As he'd told Keith, Adam didn't lie and soon enough Iverson was gathering men to head out to Keith's shack.

Adam and the others (Iverson not included because of course he couldn't be bothered to spend two hours driving out to the middle of the desert) were halfway to the shack when a giant robotic lion took to the sky.

"What is that?" Montgomery gasped.

 _That would be Keith not listening and a pack of Holt's, as per usual, being proven right,_ Adam thought. He watched the lion disappear into the atmosphere already knowing the shack would be abandoned once they reached it. He didn't bother telling the others to turn back, though, out of some faint hope he'd be proven wrong.

He wasn't. The only things in the shack of note were an outfit made of an odd fabric; a cork board filled with Keith's doodles, pictures of lion carvings, and notes on weird energy in the desert; and a note from Keith.

 **Adam,**

 **Checking something out. Don't know when/if we'll be back. Say hi to Iverson for me.**

 **Not your son,**

 **Keith**

He'd ask where he and Takashi went wrong with the kid, but he knew Keith had been like that before Takashi'd found him and every bit of effort they'd put into him died when Takahi did.

Or was labeled to be dead at least.

"I'm going to kick that kid's ass when he gets back," he muttered, already dreading the rant Iverson was going to give once he saw the note.

* * *

Adam wasn't there when Keith got back.


End file.
